The East Mt. Airy Neighbors (EMAN) Community Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation has awarded $100,000 in grants to ten nonprofits providing services to Northwest Philadelphia, with an emphasis on programs serving the East Mt. Airy neighborhood

The grants address priority funding areas established by the EMAN Community Fund. The fund geographically focuses its work on the EMAN area, bounded by Stenton Avenue, Washington Lane, Germantown Avenue and Cresheim Valley Drive.

All of the 2016 grant recipients support EMAN’s goal of making a good community better and these organizations address needs in many areas, ranging from youth sports, to the arts, to services for older residents, and multi-generation family nutrition education. The grants will also fund improvements to the handicap-accessibilty of an historic natural area and the beautification and safety of our growing commercial corridor.

Receiving this year’s grants are:

Allens Lane Art Center, to provide arts education activities for disadvantaged and homeless children and teens through dozens of visual and performing arts classes. ($7,000)

Awbury Arboretum, to continue accessibility improvements at its Agricultural Village, lengthening the walkway and creating an accessible teaching garden for people with limited mobility. ($10,000)

Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, whose “Orchestrating Leadership” after-school program introduces under-served Philadelphia school students to classical music while using the art of conducting to develop public speaking, verbal and non-verbal communication skills. The BCPO normalizes diversity in classical music programs with its ethnically diverse musicians. ($10,000)

Center in the Park, to support program offerings that help older adults maintain independence in the community, including lifelong learning, health promotion, civic engagement, intergenerational relationships, and creative self-expression. ($12,500)

Mt. Airy Baseball, which focuses on the positive role of athletics in a young person’s development through youth baseball games and tournaments, practice and instructional clinics, with emphasis on good sportsmanship. ($5,000)

Mt. Airy Business Improvement District, to create six “pocket parks” along the Germantown Avenue commercial corridor, re-purposing vacant lots into community green spaces and small parks. ($12,000)

Mt. Airy Art Garage, for a “Community of Pride” project for 4th graders at Houston and Emlen Elementary Schools, in which the students will create original murals in the schools, with help from MAAG professional artist teams. ($6,000)

Mt. Airy USA, for the Mt. Airy Reads program, which will create a reading hub at Pleasant Playground to provide neighborhood children and their families with tutoring and free books.($17,500)

Urban Resources Development Corporation, for its Owner-Occupied Repair Program, which fosters neighborhood stabilization by helping senior and low-income homeowners with exterior home repairs. ($10,000)

Weavers Way Community Partners, (recently renamed “FOODMOXIE“) to offer educational programs at an emergency housing facility and area public schools, educating and empowering some of the community’s most vulnerable residents to combat food insecurity and improve their health. ($10,000)

The Board of Directors of East Mt. Airy Neighbors is happy to be able to support such worthy neighborhood nonprofits, all of which provide vital services to our community, in keeping with EMAN’s mission of maintaining and improving the quality of life in our neighborhood.
Our deepest thanks to the staff of The Philadelphia Foundation, all of whom have worked diligently on our behalf, and have provided valuable guidance through the grant-making process.

About The Philadelphia Foundation:
One of America’s oldest community foundations (founded in 1918), The Philadelphia Foundation (TPF) is committed to improving the quality of life in the Pennsylvania counties of Greater Philadelphia (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia). A foundation and a public charity, TPF connects philanthropic resources to societal needs. TPF manages assets of approximately $370 million and more than 900 charitable funds established by its fund holders. It distributes about $25 million annually to nearly 1,000 nonprofits as grants and scholarships, and promotes greater philanthropy and stronger nonprofits in service to community needs. To learn more, visit www.philafound.org